Networking
Private Networks
Private networks behind your own router, with port forwards and a default firewall.
What a private network is
A private network is a subnet that only your servers are on. Servers in it talk to each other by their private addresses, and that traffic stays inside the network.
A router connects the network to the internet. Servers behind it go out through the router's public address, and you decide which ports come in. A server that has to face the internet directly gets a floating IP, the rest stay private.
New accounts get a default router and a default network, so the first server needs no network setup.
Why ours
A router of your own
A router gives the networks behind it internet access and a public address for outgoing traffic. Port forwards on that address are free and need no dedicated IP.
A firewall on every server
Every account has a default security group that ServersCamp manages. The rules of a group live in the group, so one change applies to every server in it.
Addresses that move
A floating IP carries an IPv4 and an IPv6. Move it to another server and its reverse DNS and its names in your public zone go with it.
Balancers with protection
Each load balancer checks its servers and has Warden protection on it.
Firewall rules
A security group is a set of firewall rules. A server in a group gets only the traffic its rules allow. A group you create starts with SSH and ping open and all other inbound traffic closed.
Rules are checked by priority, the lowest number first, and the first rule that matches decides. A rule for "Anywhere" creates matching IPv4 and IPv6 rules.
Outgoing port 25 is closed on every new server. Mail goes through a mail service.
Reaching a private server
A port forward opens one TCP port on the router's public address and sends it to a port on one of your servers. It is the free way to expose SSH or a single service.
A floating IP gives one server a public address of its own. You can move it to another machine later without changing DNS.
For your team there is VPN Gateway: a laptop or a phone reaches every server by its private address.
Load balancers
A load balancer spreads TCP or UDP traffic across several servers behind one stable address. A public balancer gets its own dedicated public IP on your router. A private one takes an address inside one of your networks, for internal traffic.
Each listener is a port and a protocol, and you can add several to expose many ports through one balancer. A listener sends each connection to one of its own servers, and a server that fails its health check gets no traffic. When you remove a server, its open connections either finish on their own or are cut at once, as you choose.
The panel shows every open connection, the clients of the last 7 days and the countries they come from. Protection is set with one switch, see Warden.
How to start
- Open Networks in the Cloud Panel. New accounts already have a router and a network there.
- Create a server in the network and put it in a security group that opens only the ports it serves.
- Expose a port with a port forward on the router, attach a floating IP, or put a load balancer in front.
Example usage
# forward port 2222 on the router to SSH on a server
curl -X POST https://platform.serverscamp.com/api/v1/port-forwards \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $SCAMP_TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"router_uuid": "<router>", "vip_port": 2222,
"vm_uuid": "<server>", "backend_port": 22}'
# then, from anywhere
ssh -p 2222 scamp@<router address>Also in networking
Reverse DNS
Set the name each public address resolves back to. It stays with a floating IP when you move it.
Terraform
Take a running network or floating IP over with Terraform. It keeps running and is not rebuilt.
Names for servers
Every server gets a public and a private name. See Public & Private DNS.
Questions
Can a network have no internet access?
Yes. A network that is not attached to a router is isolated. Its servers reach each other and nothing outside.
Which ports can a port forward use?
Any TCP port on the router address, except 51820, which VPN Gateway uses, and 40000 to 49999, which are kept for managed databases.
Can I send mail from port 25?
Outgoing port 25 is closed on every new server. Contact support to lift it.
What happens when I detach a floating IP?
The server loses the address, and the IP stays reserved for you so you can attach it again later. A released IP goes back to the pool and may be given to another customer.
Does a load balancer check my servers?
Yes. Every server on a listener is health-checked on its port, and a server that fails the check gets no traffic.
Can I balance UDP?
Yes. Each listener is TCP or UDP.